Air-way cleaning tool and end closure therefor



Jan. 31, 1933. o. s. REPLOGLE AIR WAY CLEANING TOOL AND END GLO SURE THEREFOR Filed May 13, 1931 Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DANIEL BENSON BDLOGLE, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND IESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE COMMERCE GUARDIAN TRUST & SAVINGS BANK,

TRUSTEE, OI TOLEDO, OHIO AIR-WAY CLEANING TOOL AND END CLOSURE THEREFOR Application filed Kay 18, 1981.

The invention relates broadly to improvements in floor tools for cleaning apparatus especially of the air-way type, and more particularly to adjustable end closures for such tools. The present application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 15,529, filed March 14, 1925.

In my reissue Patent No. 16,224 there is disclosed a floor tool supported on end rollers by means of yielding spring supports, which, while normally holding the mouth of the floor tool above the floor, are adapted to be compressed so that the floor covering may be brought into contact and then held by the suction against the mouth of the floor tool, thus permitting the air to be drawn through from the under side of the carpet or covering. In my pending application Serial No. 15,529, filed March 14, 1925, there is de-' scribed an improved floor tool similarly supported by end rollers carried by spring supports, which floor tool is similar in construction to that disclosed in my aforesaid reissue patent, but which is provided with front and rear lips or strokers outlining a mouth on the face of the tool, but having open spaces between the ends of the strokers to permit air to enter the tool from the sides when the strok ers engage the floor or floor covering on application of pressure to the tool. The invention of the present application is directed to means to automatically vary the size of the end openings according to the pressure applied to the tool.

It is one of the general objects of the present invention to provide end closures or lids which may be applied to floor tools, particularly those of the type disclosed in my aforesaid patent and application, but which may also be employed with other floor tools. A further object of the invention is to provide end closures which shall be simple and economical to manufacture, which are easy to apply to an existing floor tool not equipped with end closures, which shall be practically noiseless and which shall tightly and snugly fit the open ends of the floor tool. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention will be more readily under- Serial No. 587,198.

stood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view, partly in section, showing a floor tool equipped with end closures, it being assumed that pressure.

head of the tool is relieved, in which position the end closures or lids completely close the end openings;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a blank from which one of the end closures is formed;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the blank folded over to form the end closure; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a fastening device for securing an end closure to the spring roller support.

Referring to the drawing in detail, reference numeral 10 denotes a floor tool, herein shown as of the general type disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 15,529, filed Mar. 11, 1925. The floor tool may be con nected by means of a rotatable joint 11 to a tubular stub portion 12 adapted to be detachably connected to the suction pipe handle of an air-way cleaning apparatus such as that disclosed in my reissue Patent No. 16,224, or in my pending application Serial No. 251,641, filed Feb. 3, 1928, the disclosures of which constitute part of the disclosure of the present application, as illustrating the operation of the entire apparatus. It is not necessary todescribe the general operation of the cleaning apparatus in greater detail, as such operation is well known.

The floor tool is shown as provided with non-metallic lips or strokers 13, 13 preferably of hard fiber or like material outlining the mouth of the tool, and providing between them end openings 14, 14 such as are disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 15,529.

At the upper end portions of the floor tool 10 are pockets 15, 15 adapted to receive s ring shanks 16, 16, supporting end rollers 1 17. Each spring shank is shown as held in position by a flat spring 18, provided with an opening 19, which fits a lug 20 forced inwardly from the wall of the floor tool. At the end of the spring 18 is an up-turned finger piece 21, whereby the spring shank may be readily detached by merely pressing downwardly on the finger iece and thus disengaging the spring 18 f r om the lug 20. ThlS arrangement provides a yieldin support for the floor tool, whose distance rom the floor may be varied as desired, accordin ghto the pressure applied to the handle. is construction 0 the rollers and spring shanks is disclojsed in my Patent No. 1,541,280, dated June 9, 925.

According to my invention, end closures are detachably mounted on the spring shanks 16 which carry the end rollers 17. As shown, each end closure may be formed from a suitable blank 22 (Fig. 4), which may be composed of hard fiber, leather or other material aving the requisite stifiness, which will provide a noiseless, anti-rattling end closure. The blank is provided with an opening 23, herein shown as substantially rectangular in form and located at the upper portion of the blank. To form an end closure, a portion of the blank is bent over along aline extending centrally through the opening 23 to form a construction such as is shown in Fig. 5. This arrangement leaves a pair of ears 24, 24, one on each side of the central opening 23. Ex tending downwardly from the ears on one side is a main portion 25 of the lid, while extending downwardly in the o posite direction is a bent-over portion 26, a apted to hold the lid in place when assembled upon the spring shanks in the manner to be described. The lid is applied to the shank 16 with the ears 24, 24 straddling the shank on each side of the opening 23. The lid is then secured in place by a suitable pin 27 which extends through the ears 24, 24, the ends of the pin being hooked over the ears. Any type of pin may be employed, one such device being shown in Fig. 6, which is initially provided with a hook 28 at one end, while the other end is bent over after the application of the pin to form a second hook 29.

Due to the resilience of the material of which the end closure is composed and the curve intermediate its ends, the arm 26 pressing against a downwardly turned portlon 30 of the spring shank 16 causes the main por tion 25 of the lid to fit tightly against the end of the floor tool. By employing stiff fiber, leather or like material in the construction of the lids or end covers, the same are rendered substantially noiseless. The covers may be readily applied to floor tools already in service and not equip ed with such covers, or they ma be supplie with new machines as art of t e regulation equipment.

he operation of the floor tool with the lids applied will now be briefly described. The end covers, having been secured to the roller shanks 16, 16, are adapted to automatically vary the end openings 14, 14 formed between the floor-enga ing lips or strokers 13, 13 as the downwar pressure is ap lied to the cross-head of the floor tool 10 which normally stands sup orted by the springs above the floor on which the rollers travel in the position illustrated in Fig. 3. In this position the rollers are inclined slightly from the vertical and their surface does not engage the floor throughout. In this position the ends of the floor tool are closed by the lids 25, but when pressure is applied to the floor tool the s ring roller supports are compressed and the ends of the floor tool are carried downwardly below the lower ed es of the "end covers or lids, this position eing indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. When in such position, swiftly moving air enters the floor tool from each end. When, however, pressure on the tool is relieved, the end openings tend to close. This causes the carpet or other floor covering to be lifted away from the floor to a position in which the ends of the floor tool are sealed by the lids.

This particular construction also makes for increased efficiency. for bare floors or for floors covered with linoleum, since the air cannot be shut out by the tool fitting down flat. Moreover, as described above, the efiiciency for cleanin carpets is enhanced because as the carpet 1s lifted in the manner described above, an upward air blast is brought through the fabric from the floor beneath. Where a velvet carpet is thus raised up, 1ts fibers diverge as the tool is passed over them with a maximum cleaning effect, instead of flattening them down where th e air cannot act upon the dust included within the fibers.

A specific embodiment of the inventlon has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration but it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular details of construction herein described.

What I claim is:

1. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool, end rollers supporting said floor tool, sald floor tool having end openings, and means for automatically varying sald openings according to the downward pressure applied to the floor tool.

2. In combination with the cross-head of a suction cleaning tool having end openin 5, adjustable end closing pieces, and means .or automatically adjusting sald end pieces vertically according to the pressure applied 1n the Operation of the tool.

3. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool having end openings, spring shanks extending beyond the ends of the tool, end rollers for said floor tool mounted on said spring shanks,

and noiseless non-metallic lids for said openings carried by said spring shanks.

4. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool having end openings, end rollers for said floor tool, spring shanks yieldingly sup orting said tool on said end rollers, and stii? fiber covers for said end openings carried by said spring shanks.

5. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool having end openings, end rollers for said floor tool,

is spring shanks yieldingly supporting said tool on said end rollers, and adjustable non-metallic lids for said end openings carried by said spring shanks.

6. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool having end openin s, end rollers for said floor tool, spring shan s yieldingly supporting said tool on said end rollers, adjustable lids for said end openings carried by said spring shanks, and means for causing the lids to tightly fit the ends of the floor tool.

7. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool having end openings, end rollers for said floor tool, spring shanks yieldingly supporting said tool on said end rollers and having down-turned portions, adjustable lids for said end openings carried by said spring shanks, and means for causing the lids to tightly fit the ends of the floor tool, said means comprising bentover extensions of the lids yieldingly engaging the down-turned portions of the spring shanks.

8. In a suction cleaner having end openings, end rollers for said cleaner, spring shanks yieldingly'supporting said cleaner on the end rollers, andlids for said openings detachably supported on said spring shanks.

9. In a suction cleaner having end openings, end rollers for said cleaner, spring shanks yieldingly sup orting said cleaner on the end rollers, lids or said openings supported on said spring shanks, and means for detachably securing the lids to said spring shanks.

10. The combination with the crosshead of a suction cleaning tool havin end openings, of yielding spring roller en supports,'end covers carried by said supports in range of and normally covering said end openings, whereby the ends of the crosshead may be cleared of said covers by depressing the crosshead below the range of the supported covers in the operation thereof.

- 11. A cleaning tool of the kind described com rising a suction pipe stub portion, an app 'cation head with spring supports, operatively connected therewith, surface engaging strokers detachably secured and outlining a mouth on the face of said head, but having open spaces between ends of the 65 strokers, covers adaptedto close said open spaces the lower edges of said covers normally gylingin the plane of the face of the tool. 12. a tool of the kind described, the combination with a suction pipe and an application head operatively connected thereto, of slde pieces and end closing pieces secured to said head and disposed with downwardly extending edges lyin in a common surface engaging plane, toget er with means for antomatic vertical adjustment of the said end enclosin applied in the operation of the tool.

13. In combination with the c'rosshead of a suction cleaning tool having end openings, of yielding spring roller supports forthe ends of said tool, rollers carried by said su ports, end covers carried by said supports adjacent to and normally covering said end openings whereby the ends of the cross-head may be pllea'ed of said covers by depressing the cross- 14. In a'cleaning tool of the kind described, a suction extension connected with a crosshead having a mouth bounded on two sides by a pair of parallel strokers of substantially equal length below the mouth of the crosshead, the adjacent ends of said strokers forming the outlines of end openings one at each end of the cross-head, roller supports yieldably attached to the ends of the tool in proximity to the openings and adjustable covers for said end openings carried by said yielding supports.

15. In a tool of the kind described having a mouth for using the erosive like action of moving air, the-combination with air conduction and dust removing means opening into pieces, according to the pressure said month, said means including coextensive and parallel strokers extending below the mout of the tool for applying to surfaces or fabrics, air inlets at the ends of said strokers, of air inlet regulating means, com rising adjustable covers arranged at resu ting open ends between adjacent ends of said strokers.

16. In a suction cleaner, a floor tool having end 0 nings, spring shanks carried at the ends 0 said tool, end rollers for said floor tool mounted on said spring shanks, and lids for said end openings carried by said spring shanks.

17. In a suction cleaner having end open ings, end rollers for said cleaner mounted on sprin shanks, and means carried by said s ring anks for automatically varying the size of the end openings according to the downward pressure applied to the cleaner.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 

